It is going to be my pleasure in this campaign to visit the towns and cities of the 2nd district, and to meet the people there. I have already been a few places during my time in Kansas. I have driven Highway 36 a few times. First, to do family research in Belleville and a month later to go to a family reunion in Mankato. I have gone to a Kiwanis meeting in Sabetha. I made a trip to Emporia and stopped in Ottawa on the way back and wrote this, which was printed in the KC Star. Then I decided to visit other small towns in Kansas. I went to Holton and wrote another essay, which was not published.
I visited other towns to the south, stopping in Paola a few times. They have a wonderful town square. As a distant relative of John Brown, I had to stop at the museum in Osawatomie and rented a car to go there two more times to help out after their flood in 2007. I have been to Iola a few times, where my local honey comes from "Good natured family farms" (I take a spoonful of local honey every morning to help with hay fever. It seems to help.) I have gone to Lawrence for meet-ups and to Topeka for Washington Days and other events (they have 3 Godfather's Pizzas). I have been to Manhattan a few times. First, to protest a visit from George W. Bush and second to take my dog for surgery. I stopped in Wamego on the way home and went through the Wizard of Oz museum.
I look forward to getting to know this district better throughout the summer. I tried to include every town over 1,000 people (meaning Pomonaand a few others just missed the cut). If I left your town out, please let me know.
Allen County - 13,414 people, 505 square miles
County Seat - Iola, population 5,843
other major town - Humboldt, population 1,854
named after Ohio Congressman William Allen
growth 1980-2000 - (-8.1%)
Anderson - 7,908 people, 584 square miles
County Seat - Garnett, population 3,207
named after Joseph C. Anderson, Kansas Legislator
growth 1980-2000 - (-7.3%)
Atchison - 16,571 people, 435 square miles
County Seat - Atchison, population 10,078
named after pro-slavery Missouri Senator David Rice Atchison
growth 1980-2000 - (-8.8%)
Bourbon - 14,803 people, 639 square miles
County Seat - Fort Scott, population 7,915
named after a County in Kentucky
growth 1980-2000 - (-1.8%)
Brown - 10,068 people, 572 square miles
County Seat - Hiawatha, population 3,188
other major town - Horton, population 1,810
named after Albert Gallatin Brown, senator and Governor of Mississippi
growth 1980-2000 - (-10.3%)
Cherokee - 21, 337 people, 591 square miles
County Seat - Columbus, population 3,222
other major towns - Baxter Springs, population 4,202
Galena - population 3,163
named after the Cherokee tribe
growth 1980-2000 - +1.3%
Coffey - 8,454 people, 655 square miles
County Seat - Burlington, population 2,641
named after Asbury M. Coffey, an Indian agent in the 1850s
growth 1980-2000 - (-5.4%)
Crawford - 38,860 people, 595 square miles
County Seat - Girard, population 2,753
major city - Pittsburg, population 19,536
other towns - Frontenac, population 3,194
Arma, population 1,521
named after Samuel J Crawford, Civil War officer and Kansas Governor
growth 1980-2000 - +0.9%
Doniphan - 7,756 people, 397 square miles
County Seat - Troy, population 1,007
other towns - Wathena, population 1,293
Elwood, population 1,132
named after Alexander William Doniphan, Army Colonel and friend of David Atchison
growth 1980-2000 - (-11%)
Douglas - 113,488 people, 474 square miles
County Seat - Lawrence, population 89,852
other towns - Baldwin City, population 4,202
Eudora, population 6,077
note - another 30,000+ Douglas county voters are in the 3rd district
named after Stephen A. Douglas
growth 1980-2000 - +47.3%
Franklin - 26,479 people, 577 square miles
County Seat - Ottawa, population 12,838
other town - Wellsville, population 1,731
named after Benjamin Franklin
growth 1980-2000 - +13.6%
Geary -25,150 people, 404 square miles
County Seat - Junction City, population 15,576
note - most of Geary is in the 1st district, but the 2nd district clearly got the better part because while Moran won the other part by 4,717-2,111-370-173 in our part it was a tie 68-68-4-1
named after John W. Geary who was mayor of San Fransisco, Governor of Kansas and Governor of Pennsylvania
growth 1980-2000 - (-6.4%)
Jackson - 13,420 people, 658 square miles
County Seat - Holton, population 3,312
named after President Andrew Jackson
growth 1980-2000 - +8.7%
Jefferson - 18,467 people, 536 square miles
County Seat - Oskaloosa, population 1,106
other town - Valley Falls, population 1,158
named after Thomas Jefferson
growth 1980-2000 - +21.2%
Labette - 21,973 people, 653 square miles
County Seat - Oswego, population 1,983
major city - Parsons, population 11,122
other towns - Chetopa, population 1,224
Altamont, population 1,056
named after Pierre La Bette, an early trader
growth 1980-2000 - (-11.1%)
Leavenworth - 73,603 people, 463 square miles
County Seat - Leavenworth, population 34,787
other major cities - Lansing, population 10,680
Tonganoxie, population 4,156
Basehor , population 3,729
named after Henry Leavenworth, founder of the Fort
growth 1980-2000 - +25.3
Linn - 9,767 people, 606 square miles
County Seat - Mound City, population 804
other major towns - La Cygne, population 1,131
Pleasanton, population 1,337
named after Lewis Fields Linn, a Senator from Missouri
growth 1980-2000 - +16.2%
Miami - 31,078 people, 590 square miles
County Seat - Paola, population 5,368
other major towns - Osawatomie, population 4,533
Louisburg, population 3,787
named after the Miami tribe
growth 1980-2000 - +31.1%
Nemaha - 10,201 people, 719 square miles
County Seat - Seneca, population 2,027
other major town - Sabetha, population 2,493
named after the Nemaha River, a Native America word meaning 'water soil'
growth 1980-2000 - (-4.4%)
Neosho - 16,228 people, 578 square miles
County Seat - Erie, population 1,150
major town - Chanute, population 8,854
named after the Neosho river which was named by the Osage tribe
growth 1980-2000 - (-10.2%)
Osage - 16,459 people, 719 square miles
County Seat - Lyndon, population 999
other towns - Osage City, population 2,846
Carbondale, population 1,392
named after the Osage tribe
growth 1980-2000 - +11.7%
Pottawatomie - 19,396 people, 862 square miles
County Seat - Westmoreland, population 739
other major towns - Wamego, population 4,265
St. Marys - population 2,244
named after the Pottawatomie tribe
growth 1980-2000 - +23.2%
Riley - 69,083 people, 622 square miles
County Seat - Manhattan, population 51,748
other town - Ogden - population 1,432
named after Bennet C. Riley, US Army General
growth 1980-2000 - (-1%)
Shawnee - 173,476 people, 556 square miles
County Seat - Topeka, population 122,642
other towns - Auburn, population 1,143
Rossville, population 1,063
Silver Lake, population 1,370
named after the Shawnee tribe
growth 1980-2000 - +9.7%
Wilson - 9,807 people, 575 square miles
County Seat - Fredonia, population 2,424
other town - Neodesha, population 2,650
named after Hiero T. Wilson, sutler and postmaster at Fort Scott
growth 1980-2000 - (-14.8%)
Woodson - 3,318 people, 505 square miles
County Seat - Yates Center, population 1,390
named after Daniel Woodson, secretary of Kansas Territory and acting Governor when Governors were out of the state
growth 1980-2000 - (-17.7%)
More information